CHICAGO – Development has begun on security boundaries outdoors the Oswego Portillo’s the place a 2-year-old boy was tragically killed in July.
The backstory:
On July 30, a automotive pushed by a 50-year-old Michigan girl jumped the curb and crashed via the glass storefront of the restaurant, fatally hanging Finnegan McKee. Twelve others had been additionally injured within the incident, based on Oswego police.
Authorities mentioned the crash seemed to be unintended, however the investigation into whether or not prices can be filed stays ongoing.
In August, the boy’s father filed a wrongful dying lawsuit in opposition to the restaurant chain, alleging its parking zone design and lack of security boundaries created a lethal hazard. Within the lawsuit, Schyler McKee accused Portillo’s of negligence for permitting head-in parking in entrance of its major entrance with out security options that might have prevented his son’s dying.
Attorneys argued the configuration positioned diners simply toes from autos with out satisfactory safety, exposing them to a foreseeable danger of “catastrophic harm or dying.”
What they’re saying:
On Monday, attorneys for the household mentioned the lawsuit has already introduced significant change with the set up of bollards and parking blocks in entrance of the Route 34 location.
“Whereas the household is relieved to know that steps are lastly being taken to verify no different household suffers the identical form of heartbreak, no quantity of development can undo the losses they’ve endured,” mentioned Louis Anthony Cairo of GWC Harm Attorneys LLC, who represents the McKee household.
The grievance additionally cited different vehicle-into-building crashes at eating places and retail companies throughout the Chicago area — together with a number of at Portillo’s areas — as proof the corporate was conscious of the dangers however didn’t take precautions.
“Security boundaries save lives,” lawyer Allison Dolan mentioned in a press release. “This mission is a optimistic end result, but it surely shouldn’t have taken a tragedy to make it occur.”
What’s subsequent:
The lawsuit stays pending within the Circuit Court docket of Cook dinner County. Attorneys for the household mentioned they’re ready to take the case to trial. The household seeks greater than $50,000 in damages underneath each the Illinois Wrongful Demise Act and Survival Act, alleging Finnegan’s dad and mom and brother have suffered immense grief and loss.
The opposite facet:
Portillo’s has not but publicly commented on the lawsuit.
The Supply: Data for this story was offered in a press release from GWC Harm Attorneys, LLC, and former reporting by Fox 32 Chicago.
